In English, males are identified with the pronouns he/his/him and females are with she/hers/her. Without a gender neutral pronoun, the plural gender neutral pronoun they has become an accepted word to take the place of his or her. Some grammarians still dislike the singular use of they and consider it incorrect in written or formal English. However, there is a need for a gender neutral singular pronoun for people who do not identify as male or female. In fact, some English now ask students to identify PGP (preferred gender pronoun). Instead of choosing he or she, some students choose name only or a suggested alternative, such as ze.

Comprehension Questions

What is a PGP?

What do some grammarians dislike?

What is ze used for?

Discussion Questions: Should English have a singular gender neutral pronoun that is not “they”? If yes, what should it be, and why?

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Preferred Gender Pronouns
In English, males are identified with the pronouns he/his/him and females are identified with she/hers/her. Without a singular gender neutral pronoun, the plural gender neutral pronoun they has become an accepted word to take the place of his or her. Some grammarians still dislike the singular use of they and consider it incorrect in written or formal English. However, there is a growing need for a gender neutral singular pronoun for people who do not identify as male or female. In fact, some English universities now ask students to identify their PGP (preferred gender pronoun). Instead of choosing he or she, some students choose name only or even ze.

A PGP is a preferred gender pronoun. Some people do not identify as being male or female and prefer a different pronoun than he or she.

Some grammarians dislike the gender neutral singular use of they/them/their.

The pronoun ze is an example of an alternative PGP for people who do not identify as male or female.